The flight on the plane is delayed, where to contact. Documents for reimbursement of expenses. Will money be refunded for a hotel room?

Unfortunately, not all trips go smoothly. Flight delays occupy a special place on the list of popular difficulties among travelers. This happens not only on charter routes, but also on regular ones. What to do if there is a flight delay, what are airline passengers entitled to? What free services and compensation should they expect?

Possible reasons for delays

There is no need to explain that the reasons can be very different. Sometimes these data may differ even between airline and airport employees. To establish the cause, the courts make inquiries to various airport services. So these could be:

1. Aircraft malfunctions.
2. Weather.
3. Vessel delay, etc.

Are you trying to figure out what passengers are entitled to if their flight is delayed? When the flight is delayed due to circumstances beyond the airline's control, then it will not be possible to claim financial compensation. But it should provide certain conveniences during the waiting process.

This is where the first difficulties await travelers; not many of them understand their rights, for example, what passengers are entitled to if their flight is delayed by 3 hours, and what airlines themselves are not profitable to offer. Therefore, the flag is in your hands, or, more precisely, the FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations).

Obligations of the carrier in the event of a flight delay

The first thing the airport/carrier must do in the event of a delay is to inform travelers about the schedule amendments and the reasons for them.

If passengers do not receive information, and it is impossible to find a company agent, then the Federal Air Transport Service and tour operators should be notified about the situation. The former manage the airline, and the latter are responsible to travelers for the services provided, since they have entered into an agreement with the carrier.

Ticket return

If, due to the fact that your flight is behind schedule, you decide not to wait for the ship to depart, but to travel with another airline or go home, then you have accordingly decided to terminate the air carriage agreement. It is forced, therefore, you can count on compensation in the amount of 100%.

Such refusals also include:

1. Reorganization of the route by the carrier.
2. The flight is not on schedule.
3. Failed departure of a traveler due to the lack of a seat in the cabin corresponding to the date and flight indicated on the boarding ticket, due to a lengthy search by an airport employee, as a result of which no prohibited items and substances were found.
4. Sudden illness of a passenger or his close relative with confirmation of this fact by a medical certificate.
5. Failure to provide the traveler with a class of service corresponding to the purchased ticket.

In the event of a forced refusal, the airline puts a corresponding note on the ticket or issues a document explaining the circumstances of this refusal.

Travelers' rights when their flight is delayed

So, what do passengers have to do if their flight is delayed? Even if you don’t have to wait long, about 1 hour, you still shouldn’t leave the situation to chance. Immediately after receiving information about the delay, you should go to the reception desk and ask for detailed explanations. With such a slight delay, you are unlikely to receive an answer, since the employees themselves do not know what is going on, but the main purpose of the conversation is to put a stamp on the delay. It will become irrefutable evidence in subsequent proceedings.

The reasons for a delay may vary, but every traveler should have information about what passengers are entitled to in the event of a flight delay. The list of airline obligations includes:

1. Travelers with children under 7 years of age must be provided with a pass to the mother and child room.
2. Storage of luggage until departure.

Agree that it is much more convenient to wait for a rescheduled flight, freeing your hands from luggage, and settling in comfortable conditions with your children. The list of subsequent services included in the carrier's responsibilities depends on the duration of the delay.

Delay time

Depending on the waiting time, the passenger is provided with the following services:

1. So, what do passengers have to do if their flight is delayed by 2 hours or more? An air passenger has the right to demand from the company the opportunity to make 2 phone calls at his expense to any city in the world and send 2 SMS.
2. What else are entitled to passengers if their flight is delayed by 2 hours or more? The carrier must provide them with drinks of their choice in the required quantity.
3. Passengers are provided with a hot meal if their flight is delayed by 5 hours or more. After this, feeding is carried out every 6 hours during the day and 8 at night.
4. The flight was delayed for 6 hours, what do passengers have to do? After this time, all travelers must be provided with the following:

• Hotel room before departure. Rest room is provided after 8 hours of flight delay during the day, after 6 hours - at night.
• By car to the hotel and back.

Other compensation

All announced services must be provided to the passenger completely free of charge. There can be no justification in this case, since the air carrier must take care of passengers under all conditions. Well, if the flight was delayed due to the fault of the organization, then she will not be able to get away with a hot lunch and a hotel room. In addition to this, passengers are entitled to:

1. Cash payment in the amount of 3% of the ticket price, multiplied by the number of hours of delay.
2. Compensation in the amount of 0.25% of the minimum wage multiplied by the number of delayed departure hours.

In total, for a delayed flight, an air passenger will be able to return up to 50% of the ticket price (depending on the length of the wait). If the flight is never completed, then, without any doubt, the full price of the ticket will be refunded in addition to other compensation. All these amounts are valid on Russian territory; in EU countries the amount of payments is much higher. Depending on the departure time and distance, an air passenger who received a flight cancellation message from the carrier less than 2 weeks in advance can expect compensation in the amount of 600 euros.

Important information

If a flight is delayed for 14 hours, what do passengers have to do? With such a long-term flight delay, you should not wait long for the airline to pay for food and hotel. You can do everything yourself, the main thing is to save all payment documents (receipts, checks, etc.), since all the funds spent will then be returned, but, however, this will be done through the court.

Don’t know what passengers are entitled to if their flight is delayed by 5 hours or more? What to do if docking was expected? There is no need to worry about transplants. If you had a connecting flight, the carrier will in any case have to provide a seat on another aircraft en route to your destination. You won't have to pay a penny extra for your ticket, even if you are placed in business class. But if you purchased a business class ticket, and there are empty seats in economy, then you must insist on a refund of the difference!

The flight delay time is calculated based on the data indicated on the boarding ticket. The carrier, at its own discretion, may provide additional services during the delay, but they do not cancel the mandatory ones.

What to do if your charter flight is delayed

If you are going to make a claim, you will definitely need a certificate of flight delay/cancellation. The boarding receipt must be handwritten and stamped with the current departure time.

If mandatory services are not provided while waiting for a flight, purchase them yourself, but be sure to keep all receipts. Upon arrival, present them to the tour operator, his task is to deal with the charter carrier and demand compensation.

What you need to know about charter flight delays

Scheduled and charter air carriers share different types of responsibilities. In the latter case, all responsibility lies with the tour operator who chartered the ship, and not with the carrier itself.

If there is a flight delay, what do passengers have to do? The law states that, regardless of the reasons for changing the schedule, the carrier is obliged to provide the passenger with the necessary services specified above within the established time limits.

The main thing you need to do is get a stamp at the check-in counter about the delay of your flight. If there is one, then you will be able to return your own funds that could have been spent due to the fact that the carrier did not provide the necessary services or did so in violation of the established time frame.

Disputes regarding reimbursement of funds may go to court, but most often this does not happen; all claims are considered pre-trial. You can submit an application for compensation within 6 months from the date of the flight; the carrier/tour operator is obliged to consider it within 30 days.

Compensation payments for flight delays on Russian territory

The obligations of air carriers and the rights of travelers regarding the issue of receiving compensation for changing the departure time of a ship of a Russian carrier or a foreign organization that delayed a flight in Russia are regulated by the Air Code of the Russian Federation.

To receive payment for changing a flight, you need to put a stamp at the check-in counter and also obtain the appropriate certificate from an airline representative. Claims are accepted within six months from the date of flight delay.

The claim statement must be accompanied by a stamped plane ticket and a certificate confirming this fact. In addition, if you paid for the services yourself, all payment documents must be attached (receipts for food, hotel, transportation, etc. during the delay). The claim must be sent by registered mail with an inventory by mail or delivered personally to the airline agents. Be sure to make a copy of the letter for yourself. If the request will be delivered to the representative personally, do not forget to take a receipt from him. A response should be expected within a month from the date of sending.

If the flight is delayed by a European airline or within the EU

If the flight schedule of an airline registered in the EU or at an airport in EU countries has changed, then what do passengers have to do if the flight is delayed by 3 hours, for example? In this case, passengers are paid compensation, which can only be refused for several reasons:

1. Terrorist act.
2. Synoptic conditions.
3. Strike.
4. Sabotage.

Atmospheric conditions are considered a reason for refusal only if all flights originating from that airport have been delayed.

To receive compensation, you need to study the regulations, and if your situation fits the provisions described there, then you can safely write a statement of claim addressed to the air carrier. You send a letter and wait for a response. If the carrier refuses to provide compensation, you can send a letter to the consumer protection society of the country from which the flight took place. If there is a refusal there, then file a claim in the court of the same country.

The amount of payment will depend on the duration of the delay, as well as the distance between the departure and arrival airports.

Another way

The second way to receive compensation is to seek help from the Compensair organization, which completely takes care of all the paperwork for collecting payment from the air carrier, from filling out the initial application to pre-trial work with local consumer protection authorities in EU countries and court proceedings. By the way, you can check the possibility of receiving compensation for a specific delayed flight on their website completely free of charge.

The service only charges a fee for the work done if the result is positive. You don’t have to pay anything, Compensair will transfer the amount to you minus the commission, usually its size is 25%.

Probably everyone who flies at least several times a year has seen the words on the board at the airport opposite their flight DELAYED or DETAINED. Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely eliminate flight delays. Air transportation is an extremely complex process that includes many stages. A failure on any of them can lead to a flight delay. In addition, aviation activities are influenced by a number of factors that are hardly controllable. Every year, airlines suffer multimillion-dollar losses as a result of delays in their flights, and passengers suffer significant inconvenience. In this article we will talk about the main reasons for flight delays, what the airline does to prevent them, what passengers are told and what actually happens.

First, let's try to understand what a flight delay is. Many passengers mistakenly believe that the plane must leave the runway exactly at the time indicated on the ticket in the “departure time” column. In fact, this is not true at all, Departure time is the time when the aircraft starts moving from the parking lot, or the time for cleaning the ramp, depends on the technology used in a particular airline. Arrival time is, respectively, the time the aircraft is parked or the time the ramp is adjusted.

Scheduled flight time includes direct flight time, taking into account average wind data, as well as taxiing time before takeoff and after landing, which is determined statistically for a specific airport. Having bought a ticket, for example, from Domodedovo to St. Petersburg, you will see that the scheduled flight time is about an hour and forty minutes. It’s not surprising, because for a significant part of this time the plane will be rolling around the airfield.

Why not plan flights so that there are no delays? Yes, of course, you can schedule half an hour more “just in case”; the layover time between flights can also be increased so that the plane is guaranteed to be serviced in time. You can still keep a couple of reserve planes on the ground in case of breakdowns. The question is whether the passenger is willing to pay for it. The logic here is simple: if the plane does not fly, it causes losses.

There can be many reasons for delays, however, usually only three are announced to passengers at the airport. This is the late arrival of the plane, weather conditions or a technical reason. Let's talk about each of them in more detail.

Late arrival of the plane.

The most harmless delay from the passenger’s point of view, which is often abused by airlines. In a good way, such a delay should be issued several hours before the departure of your flight, if it was given half an hour before departure - know that late arrival most likely has nothing to do with it.

Late arrival occurs as follows. The airline assigns a specific aircraft to each flight. Most airlines try to minimize aircraft downtime, so flights are scheduled at minimal intervals. For A320 and B737 class aircraft, this is about an hour at the base and 40-50 minutes at the transit airport between flights, this time is enough to prepare the aircraft for the next flight. Now imagine that the previous flight arrives late. Of course, the airline will try to quickly exchange planes in order to prevent delays to other flights. But if this is not possible, the next flight will be delayed by “late arrival of the aircraft.”

Weather conditions.

So, what can prevent a modern airliner from taking off and landing? The most common option is limited visibility, usually fog or heavy snow. During the landing approach, the so-called decision altitude is set, and if the pilot does not see the runway at this altitude, he has no right to continue the descent. Obviously, there is no point in flying if the crew already knows in advance that they will be forced to leave for an alternate airfield. It is not uncommon for one airline's plane to take off, while other carriers' flights to the same airport sit on the ground waiting for the weather. This is fine. Everyone has their own weather minimums for a specific crew, aircraft, and even airfield. And by the way, fog is often a local weather phenomenon; it is quite possible that it does not exist anywhere except the airport. Therefore, you should not say that you are being deceived; believe me, not a single airline will hide behind weather conditions. In addition to fog, delays are possible due to strong winds that exceed the aircraft's landing limitations, and also due to low runway friction coefficient, often due to a combination of the former and the latter. For each aircraft, restrictions are established on tailwind (it is more profitable for an aircraft to take off and land against the wind) and side wind components. Exceeding them is dangerous. If the runway is icy and even a not particularly strong side wind is blowing, you cannot land.

If we are talking about a short flight (less than 2 hours), then it often happens that delays are issued for a short time, and then extended many times, this is due to the fact that for such flights the decision is made based on actual weather conditions (actual weather reports are issued every half hour). If the flight time is more than two hours, the decision is made based on the forecast in order to arrive under the predicted improvement. For such flights, delays may be issued for several hours at once. It all depends on the specific commander, some prefer to issue a delay for two hours at once and wait quietly, others will keep passengers on board, hoping for improvement.

Technical reason.

Airplanes break down, that's a given. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an imported plane or a domestic one, new from the factory or one that has changed several airlines. If the flight is delayed for a technical reason, do not be alarmed; this does not mean that the wings of the plane will fall off in the air. As a rule, we are talking about minor malfunctions from a safety point of view, which are corrected within half an hour. The aircraft manufacturer provides clear instructions on what faulty equipment can be flown with and for how long. For example, you can fly with one faulty engine reverser and it will be absolutely safe, you just need to recalculate the required distances for takeoff and landing. If a plane breaks down at the airline's base airport, then most likely, if spare parts are available, it will be repaired within a few hours. It is much worse if the breakdown occurs outside the base at some small airport. In this case, most likely, you will have to wait until another plane is sent for you.

Often the airline tries to hide delays due to technical reasons from passengers. Firstly, this is a reputational loss, and secondly, it scares many passengers. If the plane broke down after passengers boarded, then, of course, everything is already obvious. But if it’s before passengers board, it’s unlikely you’ll ever find out about it.

Delays associated with the work of ground services.

As we have already said, the connecting time between flights for A320 aircraft at the base airport is about an hour. During this hour the following happens. The plane parks, the ramp is adjusted, buses for passengers arrive, passengers disembark, luggage and cargo are removed, a new crew arrives, fuel and water are refueled, the cabin is cleaned, in-flight meals are loaded, and the luggage of passengers on the next flight is loaded. These are just the main links in the aircraft maintenance chain on the ground.

If some kind of failure occurs in this circuit, a delay occurs. For example, they started refueling late, and until it is finished, passengers cannot be boarded. There are often queues at the airport at check-in, security screening, and passport control. All this is the result of unsatisfactory planning or simply ineffective work of the relevant services and results in late boarding of passengers on board, which means flight delays. All services, for one reason or another, more or less often fail or make mistakes; for the airline, all this results in flight delays.

The departure time has passed, and we are sitting on the plane, not going anywhere, why?

Again, there are several options. The most common. There is a queue for departure and in order not to burn fuel in the queue in front of the runway, the controller does not give permission to start the engines. There's really no point in being tenth in line when you can wait in the parking lot and take off without queuing. By the way, in Europe the same mechanism works with airspace. A powerful computer evaluates the congestion of the European sky and, if there is no space for your flight yet, issues a slot, i.e. delay time. Imagine if such a system worked for automobile traffic. Each driver submits his route plan and desired departure time. If the system sees that the roads are congested, a delay will be issued or a different route will be suggested. This is how they deal with traffic jams in the European sky.

The second option is that a passenger was removed from the flight (perhaps he did not show up for boarding or showed up drunk), but this passenger’s luggage remained on board. For safety reasons, the luggage of passengers not on board must be removed. It doesn't matter that it's already been watched. There are, say, 150 suitcases scattered in the trunk of an airplane; you need to find the right one, which takes time.

We took off on time but arrived late, why?

Yes, this happens very often. There are several possible reasons. As a rule, there is a strong headwind. The wind at high altitudes can easily reach 200 kilometers per hour, and if it is headwind, you will arrive much later. The influence of wind is especially noticeable on long flights.

Of course, the average value of wind speed and direction is taken into account when creating the schedule, but it is impossible to include any extreme cases in the schedule. Another reason is the forced lengthening of the route, this may be due to the avoidance of dangerous weather conditions (for example thunderstorms) or the closure of certain areas for flights.
And the last thing is waiting in line to board. In general, all over the world except Russia, this happens solely due to force majeure circumstances, for example, one of the runways is closed or weather conditions do not allow landing, resulting in a queue. In Russia, all of the above is compounded by the lack of adequate planning on the part of the airport, that is, the airport confirms slots (a slot is a time interval for the departure or arrival of a flight) for a larger number of flights than it can actually provide.

How do airlines deal with delays?

Any airline has an operations department that monitors current flights and, in the event of delays, can quickly exchange subsequent flights with each other and take other measures to minimize delay time. Major airlines have entire departments that are responsible for investigating delays. In any case, if there are culprits, various types of sanctions are applied to them.

Air travel has long been part of everyday life. Traveling by air is more convenient, takes less time, and of course, takes less effort. In the shortest possible time you can be anywhere in the world. No other mode of transport can offer such speed. And if you plan your trip correctly, having previously found out all the nuances, then the cost of a plane ticket can be very pleasant.

With each new day, more and more people give their preference to air transport. And this is not surprising, because the positive aspects of this method of transportation are visible to the naked eye. The number of airline customers is rapidly increasing every day. During all this time, a certain part of people were able to experience such a problem as a flight delay. She is no longer surprising. An airplane is a complex mechanism, and in order to get this machine into the air, it is necessary to agree on a number of facts. Any mistake or even the smallest malfunction leads to the problem of flight delay.

The most common reasons for flight delays are described below. There are quite a lot of similar situations, so they can be classified into separate groups.

Meteorological situation

There can be quite a few such reasons. The weather is a very unpredictable thing, and even weather forecasters cannot always provide an accurate forecast. Due to such reasons, the flight may be delayed, or the ship must be treated with special means before departure. The use of such funds also requires time.

Very often a situation arises when one airline delays a flight until the weather stabilizes, but another calmly continues to transport passengers. Some do not understand the reasons for this behavior, others are trying to find what is the personal benefit for the company. In fact, the explanation is more than simple; each company has its own aircraft, which differ in model and configuration. Each aircraft has its own temperature threshold and operating conditions. Therefore, all recommendations are strictly followed, and the company tries to take maximum care of its passengers.

Identified malfunctions of the airliner

An airplane is a rather complex mechanism, in the operation of which even the smallest details are of great importance. Before takeoff, the aircraft is checked for all parameters. Minor breakdowns are identified on the spot; naturally, these types of work also require time. If the breakdown turns out to be more serious, the plane is removed from the flight and a replacement is sought. Such situations occur rarely and are included in the list of emergency cases. But passengers will still be delivered to their desired destination.

Most airlines really don't like situations like this. After all, such delays always leave their mark on the reputation. In most cases, the delay is due to minor repairs. Having learned about the malfunctions of the aircraft, any passenger can panic, so the administration prefers to name other reasons why the flight is delayed.

Late arrival of the airliner

This is the most common reason among airport authorities. After all, it sounds harmless and does not arouse much suspicion among passengers. Therefore, very often at airports you can hear just such a justification for flight delays. But what is alarming is that in certain cases this reason is not true.

Failure of ground services

Flight delays may occur between arrival and departure. It is in this regard that various kinds of problems can arise. The reasons for this delay are innumerable. In most cases, the human factor plays a role. This could be the lateness of service personnel, long cleaning in the aircraft cabin, or long unloading of the baggage department.

In such situations, the flight delay does not last too long; at most it can take about 30 minutes. Typically, such times do not cause much panic among passengers. Everything happens without nerves, and the reasons are quite justified. If more serious situations arise, when the flight departure is delayed due to disruption of ground services for more than two hours, each passenger has the right to demand a refund of part of the ticket price.

Passenger rights

If the flight is delayed, but passengers have not heard an announcement justifying the delay, then the first step is to contact the employee at the check-in counter. In most cases, the passenger does not receive a clear answer to the question posed. Most often you can hear some common reasons that should not cause unnecessary anxiety on the part of people. And this is logical, because any company values ​​​​its reputation.

Actions of citizens

No matter how the situation develops, a conscientious passenger must make a special note about the flight delay on his ticket. It is this mark that will give grounds to demand a discount or even refund the money for the ticket. This right is guaranteed to every passenger in the event of a long flight delay.

Special rights of air passengers are noted when a flight is delayed for a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours. The airport administration is obliged to provide free luggage storage, as well as ensure free stay for women and children in a specially equipped room.

Rights in case of flight delay from 2 to 4 hours guarantee the opportunity for passengers to make two calls to anywhere in the world. These calls must be paid by the airline. Free cold or hot drinks are also guaranteed.

A flight delay of 4 to 6 hours provides for free distribution of food at intervals of 6-8 hours.

If a flight is delayed for more than 6 hours, the airline must provide passengers with a place to stay overnight. Naturally, this cannot be a waiting room. The company is obliged to pay for the hotel and all travel expenses.

Compensation

Be that as it may, in any case, the delay in departure is the fault of the transport company, even if the cause was Each passenger can reimburse a portion of the ticket price. The maximum portion of compensation is 50%. But at the same time, the administration is obliged to pay all the passenger’s monetary expenses while waiting for the flight. This could be anything - paying for tickets for other types of transport, paying for visits to various entertainment venues, paying a bill in a restaurant or cafe. The only caveat is that the passenger must provide all receipts, otherwise the refund will not be issued.

Special cases

If passengers were traveling on vacation, and the ticket is included in the total cost of the trip, then they can make a claim for payment for missed vacation days. If the application is not submitted within 20 days, it will not be considered further. Sometimes the flight involves a transfer, which is made by one airline. Naturally, the passenger will not make it on time for the supposed second plane. Therefore, upon arrival, the administration must take care and place the passenger on another plane absolutely free of charge. Moreover, if a person was flying in economy class, and there are seats only in business class, then he must be seated in an upgraded section. If the situation is exactly the opposite, then the company is obliged to pay the difference.

How should compensation be sought?

In this situation, you need to ensure there is evidence of a flight delay. You must request a certificate from the airport administration regarding the delay of the plane. This paper must have stamps for justifiable reasons. A person can use any services while waiting for his flight. The main thing is to keep receipts, which will clearly show the time. You can go to a restaurant, rent a hotel room, and so on.

Such situations are resolved very quickly, because no carrier needs to create scandals. will affect further work, so it is desirable that the passenger is satisfied.

There are also companies that may refuse to refund money. In such a situation, you can safely file a lawsuit, attaching all the necessary documents to the case. Seeking the return of money through the court is a time-consuming process, but in most cases the truth is always on the side of the victim.

To avoid getting into an awkward situation, you should always have extra money with you. Indeed, in such unforeseen situations they may be very necessary.

Actions in case of violation of passenger rights

This situation is very unpleasant, but leaving everything as it is is not an option. It is necessary to achieve justice and return of the money spent. First you need to collect all the necessary documents, namely:

• Directly air ticket. It must contain the necessary notes about flight delays.
• All receipts and receipts for expenses that were required due to the flight delay.
• A clearly written letter indicating all claims and demands.

All collected documents must be placed in an envelope and sent to the main office of the company.

If within 30 days the passenger has not received a response from the airline, then you can safely file a claim with the court. And after some time, justice will be restored.

The rules and regulations described in the article apply to all types of flights. Even if a charter flight is delayed, the rights of passengers remain the same. The carrier is equally responsible. The consumer should receive quality service in any case.

Air transport is undoubtedly the fastest, most convenient and safest, so it is not at all surprising that most travelers choose to travel by plane. But unfortunately, not all airlines fully cope with their work. In particular, some people delay their flight, and not because of the vagaries of the weather.

Many people have probably had to deal with this rather unpleasant situation, but not everyone, as practice shows, knows the rights of passengers when their flight is delayed. Let's try to analyze this topic more carefully so that everyone, if necessary, can independently deal with the pressing problem.

First of all, you should understand: the purchased air ticket acts as a contract with the carrier, which in the future must serve passengers. And his main responsibility is to deliver the client to the right place in a timely manner and take care of his safety.Taking into account previously established rules regarding the protection of consumer rights, the airline, when a flight is delayed, is obliged to:

1. Passengers with small children whose age has not exceeded 7 years will be provided with a room for mother and child free of charge, regardless of whether the flight departure is delayed by 30 minutes or 6 hours.
2. A carrier that delays a flight by 4 hours is obliged to provide hot meals free of charge to adults and children. For this purpose, clients are issued coupons with which they can order lunch in restaurants or coffee shops operating on the pier territory.
3. If the departure of the airliner is delayed for a longer time, approximately 7-8 hours, the culprit of the delay is obliged to provide its clients with places to stay in the hotel complex. If there is no hotel on the territory of the airport, the airline pays for the transfer and also controls the safety of the luggage of all passengers.

Unfortunately, not many companies are committed to providing both drinks and food stamps to their customers. Therefore, passengers should take the initiative to contact representatives to remind them of the airline's responsibilities in the event of a flight delay.

Under what circumstances is the carrier considered at fault?

Initially, you need to figure out whether the air transport departure is really delayed due to the fault of the company. The Civil Code of the Russian Federation clearly indicates the reasons why the carrier will be considered as the culprit:

• in case of inconsistency in the previously approved schedule;
• if the airliner or crew members are not ready to serve customers;
• when passengers refuse to use the carrier’s services due to so-called overbooking: that is, if the company decides to put more clients on board the aircraft than are provided in the passenger seats.

The carrier is considered innocent if the following reasons prevent him from fulfilling his duties in a timely manner:

• unfavorable, sharply changed weather conditions;
• all kinds of natural phenomena - for example, fire or floods;
• actions of military significance;
• a ban on the transportation of goods or passengers in the selected direction.

Also, the airline will not be guilty of delay if the crew identifies a malfunction in the vehicle that could cause the airliner to crash.

What can a passenger expect?

Clearly, an airline has a responsibility to all of its customers. Depending on how many hours the air transport departure will be delayed, the actions of the airline employees depend:

1. If the plane's takeoff is delayed by a couple of days, the at-fault party can offer its clients two ways to solve this problem:

• flight in the desired direction on another transport serviced by the same carrier;
• refund of the full amount of money spent on the purchase of an air ticket. In this situation, it should be borne in mind that it will be possible to return the money spent on tickets in both directions only if the purchased tickets are marked on a single form.

1. If the departure of transport is delayed after customers have arrived at the airport, and they are currently checking in, then first of all the carrier must inform about the delay time, and also offer several options to get out of the unpleasant situation. Most often, passengers are simply asked to fly using the service of another airline, without making additional payment if the culprit is the previously chosen carrier.

Important! Compensation for aircraft flight delays is due to all passengers flying in EU airspace.

Amount of compensation in the Russian Federation

If the company cannot prove its innocence regarding the delay in air transport departure, then, according to the current legislation of our country, it must pay its customers 3% of the total cost of the air ticket for every 60 minutes of forced waiting. The amount of money under other circumstances is considered as compensation for the delay. Also, the culprit is required to pay 25% of the minimum wage as a fine for every 60 minutes, but the total payment amount should not exceed half the purchase price.

According to the law of our country, the injured party is not entitled to other types of compensation. But the passenger has the right to both demand a refund of the amount spent on the ticket and use the services of an alternative flight offered by the culprit.

What actions should be taken if the plane's departure is delayed?

So, the air transport departure has been delayed. First of all, you need to find the office of the guilty carrier or contact his representative. An employee can be found at the check-in counter or at the airport ticket office. If the passenger has already passed passport control, then the representative may be at a special gate, from which, according to the previously approved plan, the plane should take off.

If you cannot find a representative, you should find out at the information desk where you can find an employee, or call the airline office, finding out the phone number on the carrier’s official website.

Having found a representative, you need to get from him everything that the injured party needs, taking into account the flight delay: drinks, food stamps and hotel room. And it is imperative to receive a note from the employee, which will clearly indicate how long the flight departure will be delayed. The airport employee serving customers at the information desk can also put the appropriate mark.

Most often, the delay time is noted on the itinerary receipt, and it is also indicated here what exactly the injured party received - for example, food stamps and so on.Even if it is not possible to put a confirmation mark, there is no need to worry prematurely, because the delay will be documented, which means that upon arrival, passengers have the right to send a written complaint to the office of the guilty airline.

Receiving compensation

It is equally important to figure out how to get compensation. This process is quite simple, because for this you will need to have a note on hand about the flight delay due to the fault of the carrier. Upon returning from a trip, the injured party must contact the airline with the following documents:

1. An application written according to a special template, which can be viewed on the air carrier’s Internet resource.
2. Boarding pass.
3. A note about the flight delay placed on the boarding pass.

The exact time for refunding money is not specified in Russian legislation, so the carrier has the right to make adjustments, of course, within a reasonable understanding, regarding this issue. As practice shows, most often financial compensation is received by injured passengers 2-3 months after submitting documents. However, the consideration of the case can often drag on for 6-7 months.

Regardless of how long the airline reschedules the flight, you need to try to collect as much evidence of this fact as possible in order to receive compensation. That is, get a note about the delay, collect receipts issued for the purchase of food and drinks, and even take a photo of the takeoff and landing board of the previously selected flight to confirm a change in the previously established status. The more evidence is collected, the higher the chance of receiving financial compensation for the injured party.

In contact with

It is impossible to foresee everything in the world. You can buy the best plane tickets, but at the same time you won’t be able to fly, because already in the arrival hall it turns out that the flight has been delayed. This trouble is almost always associated with a whole avalanche of related problems for the traveler, starting from where and how much money to eat during a long wait, and ending with how to still get to the desired point of arrival, since a hotel has been booked there, something important happens event, there must be a transfer to another flight, etc.

And since few of us have clairvoyant abilities, it will be useful to find out at your leisure what to do if your flight is delayed, since panic and anger in such a situation are the worst advisers. First of all, the procedure depends on how long the delay occurred.

What should a passenger do if their flight is delayed?

Even if the waiting time for a flight is short, say, 1 hour or a little more, you should not leave things to chance. You need to immediately go to the information desk after the announcement and ask the employee to give an explanation. There is usually no answer to such delays, but the main purpose of such a trip is to put a mark on the tickets about the delay. This will serve as indisputable evidence in any future proceedings.

The delay time and its reasons can be anything, but every passenger should know what to do if their flight is delayed. This list includes:

1. Providing space in the mother and child room for passengers with children under 7 years of age.
2. Baggage storage until departure.

Having freed your hands from your suitcases and settled down with your children in comfortable conditions, waiting for a delayed flight is incomparably more convenient. The carrier provides further services depending on the delay time.

If the flight is delayed by 2 hours or more, the passenger has the right to demand:

1. Opportunities to make 2 free phone calls anywhere in the world, as well as send 2 free messages via the Internet.
2. Drinks (water, tea, coffee, juices) in the required quantity.

If the flight is delayed by 4 hours and more, then the list of requirements can safely include:

1. Hot meals immediately, and then every 6 hours during the day and 8 hours at night.

If your flight is delayed by 6 hours or more, all passengers of the flight by the carrier must be provided with:

1. A place in the hotel until the moment of departure. A hotel room is provided to all flight passengers during the day after a delay of more than 8 hours, and at night after a delay of more than 6 hours. It doesn’t matter how many times delay announcements are extended at the airport, the countdown is based on the time on the tickets.
2. Transportation from the airport building to the hotel by airport transport.

Passengers have the right to receive all of the above services absolutely free of charge. However, any excuses do not matter, since the rules oblige the carrier to take care of customers under all circumstances. In cases where the flight is delayed due to the fault of the airline, then she will no longer get away with a hotel room and a hot lunch. All flight passengers are additionally entitled to:

1. 3% of the ticket price, multiplied by the number of hours of flight delay (Clause 5, Article 28 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On Protection of Consumer Rights”).
2. 0.25% of the minimum wage based on the number of hours of flight delay.

In total, due to compensation, the passenger will be able to return up to half of the cost of the air ticket (Article 120 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation). Of course, if the flight never took place, the passenger will receive the cost of the tickets back, in addition to the compensation due. All of the compensation amounts listed are valid in Russia, but in EU countries they are much higher. Proportional to the flight time and distance, a passenger who receives a flight cancellation notice from the airline less than 14 days before the departure date may receive compensation of up to 600 euros.

Important: do not wait too long if your plane flight is delayed until the carrier pays for a hotel or a hot lunch. Pay for everything yourself, but keep all payment documents: checks, receipts, since later the money will be returned, but, however, through the court.

Also, don't worry about transfers. If you had to transfer to another plane at the landing point, the carrier is obliged to provide a seat on the plane for another flight with the same point of arrival. You won’t have to pay a penny extra for a new ticket, even if you are placed in business class instead of economy. But if the ticket was originally purchased for business class, and the new one is offered only in economy, then you must demand your money back!

How to get money from the carrier if your plane flight is delayed?

To get everything spent back, you need to write a statement on your behalf to the airline and ask to reimburse all costs, as well as pay the due compensation for the delay in departure. Please attach to this application:

• checks for payment of hotel and meals;
• a certificate from the airport information desk about the flight delay;
• air ticket.

This claim does not have to be urgently sent somewhere; it can be sent to the carrier’s legal address by mail, but no later than 6 months from the date of the delayed flight. Usually such a claim is enough to get money back to your bank account specified in the letter. If there is no answer, you can safely go to court, because the law is on your side!

If you were to fly on a tour package, part of the cost of which was air tickets, then you can additionally request a refund from the tour operator for those paid days that you spent waiting for departure. You must hurry up and submit this claim to the tour operator’s office within 20 days from the date on which the signed contract for the provision of services expires.

Where to complain?

For a passenger, it matters which airline he is dealing with. Cancellations and delays of domestic flights of Russian airlines are considered under Russian law. Passenger complaints against foreign carriers who have violated their obligations to Russian travelers are also considered. It is worth noting that when going on a trip, you need not only to buy plane tickets, but also.

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